Over 90 pc of kindergarten graduates’ parents worried about transition to primary school

More than 90 percent of parents of kindergarten graduates expressed concern about their children adapting to primary schools, as they had been barred from school life for a long time under the Covid-19 pandemic.  

A survey conducted by Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service interviewed online 138 parents of kindergarten graduates-to-be between March and early April.  

Among them, 90.6 percent of parents said they were worried about their children’s transition to primary schools, of whom 76.8 percent said they were most concerned that their children would not be able to keep up with the learning process, followed by 58.7 percent worrying about the adaption to new environments and 46.4 percent worrying about socialization at school.  

The survey also found that 74.6 percent of parents thought their children were not ready for primary school. The most important support parents wanted was primary school transition classes (79.7 percent), followed by primary school support textbooks (49.3 percent) and class observation (40.6 percent).   

Facing various possible issues, 34.1 percent, 18.8 percent, and 14.5 percent of parents felt anxious, agitated, and depressed, respectively, about their children’s transition to primary school.  

To alleviate the stress of coming kindergarten graduation, the organization will launch a series of supporting services from June to September, including primary school learning experience day, parent seminars, support learning kits, and parent support hotlines.